Whack!! this Wednesday’

A few observations and much reasoning lead to error; many observations and a little reasoning to a good whacking!

Haven’t really participated in many contests but couldn’t avoid ‘Whack!! this Wednesday’. For those who know me wouldn’t believe I wrote this but ya well, what the whack, here we go!

If you own a car and especially a bike you would be well aware of unruly pedestrians who think they own the road. I, the law abiding biker, come face to face with such pedestrians’ who-own-it-all. Even these are an assortment.

• There are those who will explicitly choose to cross the road when a bike is approaching and endanger the biker’s life and off course their own. Doesn’t matter if the road behind the biker is empty, but if the pedestrian doesn’t cross before the bike crosses, the earth will shatter and the sky will fall down!

• Then there are those who will, after getting down from the bus, always try to cross the road from the front of the bus. Oh ya, the government made the bus of glass so that everyone can see through and through! WRONG! We bikers do not know if you are crossing from the front of the bus because we cannot see you! Off course, with experience you learn to slow down but even then don’t you just feel like whacking the living daylights out of such people?

• And then there are the aunties and uncles who cross the road as if strolling in a nana-nani park. And what’s more, they always find unsuspecting bikers to strut their stuff in front of. I know you think you are the most important person in this world and at the moment when you are in front of a biker, we think the same too because we cannot do anything. But I can whack you now, thanks to Blogadda!

• Oh did I forget to mention the old, really old uncles who love to show their Usain Bolt akin racing skills to bikers. But they know they will lose if they run parallel to us. So what do they do to get our attention and in doing so defeat us comprehensively? Start running in front of us just when they see us hapless bikers. Oh ya you made your point. But uncleji, this ain’t the Berlin Olympics and if are so eager to show off your running skills at the age of 60, why don’t you go to a race track instead?

• Before I forget, there is this another irritating pedestrian who just loves the feel of tarmac and if even there is a 2 feet wide footpath right next to them, they will still choose to walk on the tarmac. Such brand loyalty is unheard of, especially in government circles. Oh and what is worse is they choose heavy traffic situation to display such blatant affection and loyalty for the good ole tarmac. This is the time when bikers are forced to drive in the narrow gap between cars and the footpath and this is also the time the pedestrian chooses to take a walk in the park seemingly aloof of the eager-to-overtake-the-adjacent-car biker honking at em’.

• Lastly, who can forget the holy rickshawallas and cabbies and buses? The most irritating rickshawallas are those who try to overtake a BMW on a highway when the road is clear. In doing so, they not only create a massive traffic jam behind them but also increase stress to unheard off levels in anger management parlance. Not to forget the cabbies who drive at 20 kmph, no matter what lane they are in. And they drive like royalty, like they are driving a Bugatti. Bikers like us are forced to two their line, disallowed to overtake such cabbies because if we do so, we will be breaking our oath we gave our mothers of not racing on the highway. Then there are the buses that just love driving in the last lane and make sure they give not an inch away to the bikers to pass through. Imagine being stuck behind a King Long Bus on the Andheri Flyover for more than 20 minutes just because the bus driver did not reciprocate your incessant honking! More than whacking the driver feels like whacking the bus itself for its way to big and way to powerful. Remember spiderman? With power comes responsibilities and for buses, this power translates into doing what they want because they own the god damn road!

Pratap Da Dhaba, Paaji tussi great hoji!

Have been to Pratap da Dhaba a few times already. My last few visits have been well documented here, here and here! I realised that I have yet to post pictures of this place and this time seems no different except for a few pictures but I hope that doesn’t disappoint.

The last time I went, we were disappointed but thankfully, that experience was a one-off. This time around, we went on a weekday and got the benefit of great service, courtesy relaxed waiters.  Pratap da Dhaba has a good Dhaba feel to it and one can see all sorts of people here including families, friends and couples.

We started off with drinks including the age-old Lassi and the Panna Goday Naal. The later was an extremely tangy drink with pepper and salt mixed with lemon juice and water. It was a one of a kind drink and we loved it!

The drinks kept us going for a while after which we ordered for a Macchi Fry Amritsari. The Amritsari was ravas cooked in North Indian masalas and wasn’t as spicy as fish starters are in Maharashtra. The starter was excellent and the accompanying chutney was good as well.

While raving about how good the starters were, we went ahead with our order for the main course which was a Kukkad Dhania Adraki. A bit disappoint with the adrak which had a strong flavour but overall the dish was good. The Ginger-Garlic paste was liberal but so was the white chicken which was tender and juicy. We also ordered for a Lachha Paratha and again was a bit disappointed here. Prefer my Lachha Paratha a bit thinner than a Tandoori roti but that wasn’t the case here.

Overall the food was excellent and the service was good. We were served the Paneer version of the main course which was promptly replaced by the chicken variant without us saying anything!

The place is a bit on the higher side but the food and the ambiance makes up for it. Pratap da Dhaba is highly recommended by http://talkreviews.wordpress.com!

Pizza Hut, They make you wait and test your patience!

Ever since I found Joey’s Pizza at DN Nagar in Andheri, I have stopped going to any other pizza places. But this time, I decided to go to Pizza Hut at Oberoi Mall, Goregaon as I had a 1 on 1 free Pizza voucher.
The offer was either buy a family sized pan pizza and get another family sizes pan pizza free or buy a medium-sized pizza and get another medium size for free.

So we ordered for a Chicken Supreme Medium and an Ultimate Temptation Medium. The thing with Pizza Hut is the cheese they use is really yummy. It is probably a combination of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. The hot pizzas were accompanied by drink including an Apple Cinnamon Ice Tea, Tangy Orange and a Grape Sangria Cooler. The Ice Tea was excellent with just about the right quantity of Cinnamon while the Tangy Orange was well, Tangy! The Grape Sangria was almost like wine without the alcohol in it. I’d recommend the Ice Tea and the Grape Sangria cooler as ‘must have’ drinks while waiting for the pizza to arrive.

We also had the Barbecue chicken wings and Garlic Bread which pretty much standard fare here. The Barbecue chicken was cooked in Barbecue sauce but we were disappointed with the small size of the chicken pieces. The good thing was that the processed chicken tasted good.

However, coming back to the title of the post, there was waiting of nearly 45 minutes before we got a table, this after we were told it will take only 20-30 minutes, sigh. The service was excellent, (we were served by Rupa who is adept at multi-tasking and seemed to be serving multiple tables without much problem, kudos to her!). So no complaints in the service but once we were done eating the wait for the bill was an endless one. It seemed as if people had forgotten about us completely as we waited for the bill for another 20-odd minutes. What was amazing was that we had called for the bill at least 4 times but no one obliged and finally when the manager was in sight, we requested for the bill which was promptly delivered to us.

Oh and we didn’t leave any tip. Food was good, service excellent but really who charges 10 percent service charge and 12.5 percent VAT?? That total amounted to the price of a small pizza! Hence, no tips!

China House, House of the Good Food!

China House, as the name suggests is a Chinese Restaurant (no points for guess that on a Food and Travel blog!). Located inside, Galleria in Hiranandani, Powai, China House shares space with a couple of Kebab joints and the Bengali street food place, Hangla’s.

China House is a pretty small restaurant, it ends a few paces from where it starts and seems a bit cramped up with the tables and chairs placed close to each other. But it has unusually high ceilings dotted with Chinese artifacts. The entire setting of the restaurant makes one really feel like one is at a Restaurant in China except for the Indian waiters and the fact that there are tables and chairs!

Anyways, whilst admiring the place, we ordered for Dumplings which is pretty much like Wanton. The Chicken Dumplings were yummy and made for a perfect light starter (even though the covering was made of Maida) for our main course which was the Mustard Chilly Prawns Sizzler. Emboldened by the delicious starter, decided to try the Sizzler. My friend suggested the Mustard Chilly as she likes Mustard. Hump! me not so much but went for it hoping the mustard wouldn’t overpower the taste buds. Thankfully, I was right or should I say the chef got it right. The quantity wasn’t much but the summers have seriously sapped away our appetites, so we didn’t have a complain on the quantity front. The quality was good too. The Prawns were big and yummy and so was the rice and noodle combination with the big french fries!

The sizzler was really nice there was only a hint of mustard which is a good thing in my book!

China House is indeed a good place to have dinner. If you are in Powai and in the mood for some Chinese, do give China House a thought. It is definitely cheaper than Yoko Sizzlers which is also located in Galleria.

Price: 3.5/5 (Rs.300 for the Sizzler and Rs.135 for the Dumplings)

Ambiance: 4/5

Twist, The new Hukka place in Town!

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is such a huge commercial opportunity that even pubs, lounges, bars and restaurants are cashing in on the demand for live screening of matches. One such place is Twist, a relatively new Restobar cum lounge cum discotheque located in Andheri West, near PVR Juhu and Croma Juhu.

Went here with friends to enjoy the screen of Mumbai Indians vs. Deccan Chargers. Honestly, it made for great viewing. Lots of fans cheering on Mumbai Indians and going wild with every six hit. The only thing missing I guess were the cheerleaders though there was a fashion show to be held after the match, so we guys did get a view of the delicate darlings!

While watching the match, we ordered for a Pan Masala Hukka. The Hukka was aptly named IPL Mixed Hukka. The flavour was good and lasted for sometime but the price wasn’t worth it. Probably a price tag of Rs.200-250 would be a better price point.

To go with the Hukka, we ordered for a Veg Wanton. In my opinion, it was better than at Wanton House. The filling was good but the size of each Wanton was small though the overall quantity was good.

We continued smoking Hukka and in the meantime even shifted tables for dinner. For dinner, we ordered for Veg Korean Rice and Pan Fried Noodles. The main course was nothing to write home about. The veggies felt uncooked and the overall dish was bland. You’d expect that from a Chinese and Korean fare but I have had better Chinese Rice and paid half the price.

Overall,  Twist is a good place to hang out. Apparently the owner of this place is dating Miss Pantaloons (not sure of this info) who was present amongst us on the day of the match.

Anyways, the ambiance of Twist is really good. The lounge area is excellent to wile away time with your friends and enjoy the evening. The restaurant has a more formal decor and especially for those who intend to enjoy a few drinks and have dinner over a corporate meeting or just a casual conversation with friends.

While the place is nice, the same cannot be said about the food. We were disappointed with the food especially since the Rice and Noodles were priced at INR 150 each. A similar meal (with similar tastes) can be had at Yummies on Carter Road.

Ratings in Brief:

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 4/5

Ambiance: 4.5/5

Harish Bar and Restaurant

Irla is not a place I have eaten much at except for the overpriced Papillon and Amar Juice Centre. So it was a surprise for me when a friend suggested we go to Harish Bar and Restaurant for some choicest meat dishes and off course some drinks.

For starters, which for this post means drinks, we ordered for Royal Stag quarter at INR 220 which is quite reasonable by any standards! For the food though, there was a long list which included the choicest of prawns (Prawns Lassuni), the sweet tasting Crispy Chicken, Chicken Lollypop, and the evergreen Surmai Tawa Fry. I think the fish here was awesome and so were the prawns though the lollypops held forth for the chicken!

The main course included Chicken Hyderabadi and the Chicken Sukha. The Sukha I rather have at Janta Bar and Restaurant. Though not bad,  it wasn’t the same as at Janta. The Hyderabadi Chicken was lip-smackingly good as were the Parathas we had them with.

Overall the place is on the expensive side though the booze is reasonably priced.

Verdict

Food: 3.5/5 – No complaints with the food. Though the prices could be reduced a bit here.

Service: 4/5 – Attentive and friendly waiters.

Price: 3/5 – The real downer here. Harish could possible be a back up if only the food prices are slashed by 20% or more, which seems unlikely to happen!

Singh’s Fish and Kabab Corner @ Andheri

Seen this place a million times but not until a friend took me here did I realise what I had been missing for so long! A small eatery, Singh’s is very famous, not only for Andherities but others as well. Not the biggest menu but that shouldn’t be a deterrent for anyone. While we were here, tried the Chicken Tandoori and the Chicken Biryani. The Tandoori was easily the best I have had so far. Freshly out of the ‘bhatti’ (oven), it was hot, and cooked well. The leg piece wasn’t burnt and was utterly delicious! Made me ponder if I should have had two of them cause the Biryani let me down a bit. Well cooked again, it wasn’t hot but mildly warm as the Biryani was already made sometime back (And they make kilos of Biryani every hour or so it seems!). Though the Quantity for the half plate of rice was acceptable, it could have done with a bit more chicken in it! Though it was good biryani nonetheless but again, a bit more chicken wouldn’t hurt. Though I wonder, if that is the case with a full biryani as well.

So that was what we ate at around 10:00 PM. A meal totally worth the money paid. Not often do I say this but for tonight it was true. I am surely coming here again!!

Ratings:

Service: 6/10 (Wouldn’t have hurt if the dude was a bit friendly!)

Ambiance: 7/10 (7 may seem too much but for a place that sees maddening crowds it is Quite clean!)

Price: 9/10: Affordable! Very Affordable!!

What to eat: Tandoor and Biryani. Period.

Anna’s @ Andheri Station

Been on a mini-break trying to avoid outside food due to an on-going health crisis. But I couldn’t resist this one. Got a call late at night from a very hungry soul. It didn’t take me long (never really does when someone mentions food!) to agree to his plan of eating out so without hesitating we headed out in search of food at 2 AM in the night. Since we didn’t want to go anywhere far we began asking around and were directed to Andheri station.

Not too sure what the stall’s name is but it seems to have been operating for quite sometime now. At 2.00 AM you find all kinds of people waiting here for the bhurji pav, pulav and the chicken masala. Not sure of the prices as we had all three and paid INR 105 in total. Two of us sharing three dishes for just a little over a 100 bucks is a steal IMHO! There was also Pav Bhaji but the waiting time was too much.I’d recommend the Bhurji Pav and Chicken Masala though the veggies can try the Pav Bhaji.

Here is a tip if one wants their food to be served quickly. Wait at the counter and be nice to the guys cooking and the guys serving the food and they will serve u sooner than the others. As my friend put it ‘begging here really does help if you want to satiate yourself quickly’. Mind you, this place is not for those looking to satiate their taste buds but for those intending to fill up their hungry tummies!

(Couldn’t take a picture here due to some very ‘understandable reasons’ so this is the best I have. The stall with the bright light is the one which serves the delicious and oily food!)

PS: The food at Cooper is better and far more in quantity but the price is also higher. Also, if one is conscious of the crowd then cooper is a safer bet though Andheri too had its fair share of ‘hip and happening’ crowd!

Disappointed at Pratap Da Dhaba

Pratap Da Dhaba, located Oshiwara, Mumbai nevers sees a dull day with hordes of patrons frequenting this eatery everyday. When we (2 friends and me) went it was no different and knowing that it gets crowded we decided to go there around 9 PM. Overwhelming hunger pangs resulted in a quick order for main course with some drinks as well.  The food arrived quickly and as usual was tasty and delicious. However, one dish, Kukkad Kadai Wala was extremely salty which was apparently corrected by the chef after being told about the extra dose of high blood pressure inducing salt. However, the dish still tasted salty and in a way ruined the dining experience for us! Another dish, the Butter Chicken aka Kukkad Makhan pa Ke was sweet. Not sweet as hell but a little sweeter than usual, I though. On a ligher note, it was a quite a combination of sweet and salty! I am sure, they like to see high BP diabetic people frequent their restaurants!!

This wasn’t my first time here and my good image about the restaurant did take a severe hit after the meal. The dhaba is expensive as well – 1 starter, 2 main course dishes and roties cost us INR 755! I can get better a dining experience at places cheaper than the Dhaba!!

I sincerely hope that the food glitch was a once in a blue moon problem or else they would so definitely loose quite a few valued customers!!

Joey’s Pizza

Address: Shop No.6 and 7, Upvan Building, Behind Indian Oil Colony, Andheri (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26304808, 26304809

Full Review: Joey’s Pizza is arguably one of the best (if not the best) pizza joints i have had the pleasure of satiating my appetite.
The place is big enough but i am guessing they make more money by way of home delivery. Good place for a family, friends or a date; they got tables for everyone.
One thing i like about that place is its located in a residential area, pretty quiet, no hustle bustle of commercial district; definitely a great place to enjoy your meal.
Every time I have been there I have always ordered a 12 inch pizza (off course with friends ).

The service at Joey’s is good though off course they take their own sweet time in getting the pizza which sometimes takes more than 30 minutes! (Now you know why they do not do the ’30 mins of free’ deliveries)
Until that time try the cheese garlic bread, an absolute treat!
But the time taken does not matter anymore after u take that first bite after the pizza has arrived! Hot and fresh! One bite and you will swear not to go to any other pizza place again!
The pizza tastes good with a good amount of cheese on it! There are a lot of toppings too. A lot of cheese coupled with a lot of toppings does make the pizza a little too soft for my liking but what the heck the taste is still unbeatable.

The pricing is pretty standard and they got different categories like I, II and III where you get different pizzas for different prices ranging from the cheapest, the basic cheese pizza all the way to the mixed meat pizza!
For first timers try the Category III pizzas (All of them are pretty good)

On the pricing front, one 12 inch + garlic bread plus soft drink will set you back by Rs.400.

Bling

ddress: Leela Kempinski Hotel, Sahar Airport, Sahar, Andheri (E), Mumbai

Tel: 66911234, 66911219, 66911220

Full Review: Well something about the management first. Its brand new, promoted by Dj Aqeel (and is not handled by the Leela Management).
I was at Bling for Dj Pearl’s weekly house dosage on Wednesday night. Since the disc is in a hotel I think it can remain open till after 4 AM (thought I left at 3:30 AM)
The place is nicely decked up, I loved the ambiance there, almost lounge like though its a Disco. OH! they got a lot of balls (big balls) on the ceiling, almost faking the illusion of a chandelier hanging on top. They got lasers too! A blue laser beam from the left (if your facing the DJ console) stretches all the way across the place (as its quite small).
The DJ Console is closed box (with a plexi-glass so you can see through the DJ) Though the Console is on the same level as the dance floor from the outside, its raised from the inside (heck pearl is not taller than me!). Opposite the console is the bar which stocks quite a collection of booze.
The place can accomodate around 200-250 people. There is seating space too but the bouncers did not allow any to sit as they all had a ‘reserved’ tag on them which is a shame cause for the four hours I was there we did not see anyone sitting on the couch (Except for this couple that was making out right next to the DJ console)

The entry is pretty cheap Rs.500 per person (dunno rates for couples) They got guestlists too (and I was on one of em, so got in free). There was some fight a few nights ago outside Bling so those guys were a bit jittery to let us stags in which they eventually did after we talked to the manager (and being on Pearl’s guestlist did help too)

The booze is quite costly, (offcourse, less the number of people costlier the booze). A pint of beer set us back by Rs.350. Vodka costs around Rs.500. Definitely not in my league (or the other way round!)

Bottomline – You gotta check out this new place atleast once. I think its open only on wed, thurs, fri and sat .

Courtyard

Address: Minoo Minar Building, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai

Tel: 26734165, 26734159

Full Review: Me and my college friends went here, 10 of us and none had been here before. The ambiance of the place was more like a family restaurant, but the outside non-ac area was quite perfect for friends or for a date. They had a floor on top as well.
We were sitting on the outside where the tables near the wall are only lit by candles. Gets a little dark if you want to read the menu properly but after a few minor adjustments it was all fine and dandy.
Moving on to the food and beverages. First of me and my friend ordered for a couple of Kingfisher pints which was priced at Rs.80 per pint. Quite cheap i must say. Then the rest of us ordered Paneer and Chicken starters which were oh so delicious!
Paneer was melting in the mouth like an ice cream while the chicken was soft and tender and tasted very good.
Later we had lassi which was sweet but still nice and thick, just the way i like it.
The main course included, paneer kadai, chicken afgani and chicken kadai. The kadais were incredibly good, if i could i would have ordered a couple more kadais! The chicken afgani was brilliant too.
A liberal serving of chicken and paneer along with yummy butter rotis made the whole dinner experience quite memorable. Offcourse there were the candle lights but matters not when you are with your good friends.
The service was good, quick and efficient. If the waiter said 10 minutes, he bought the food in 10 minutes.
Moneywise, on the expensive side, but you get way you pay for, every morsel is worth the money you spend here.
The total bill came to 2.2k for what could be aptly called a Kings’ feast.
There was just nothing wrong that I could find with Courtyard which is why the 5 stars and I am definitely adding this place to my ‘frequently visited’ destinations.

Just Biryani

Address: Shop No.4 & 5, Building No. 25, Link Road Extn., Oshiwara, Andheri (W), Mumbai
Tel: 26355110/9069, 55794713-14
What’s good: Chicken Biryani offcourse! but also the chicken Reshmi Tikka
Review:
On the lookout for a sumptuous meal last weekend, we stumbled upon this small place called Just Biryani. We were lucky we got a table for 2 as soon as we reached there.
My first impressions, very small, a little crowded, maybe a couple of waiters less but the place has a good ambiance nonetheless.
We were under the impression that this place would only serve biryani’s or atleast give biryani’s a more prominent place on the menu. The biryani’s were listed on the last page which is alright if your not sitting in a restaurant which is called ‘Just Biryani’.
Anyways, we quickly ordered our food, Dum Biryani and Reshmi Tikka Kabab. But before ordering, we had to call out quite a few times for someone to get us water and when someone did get water, they dropped it all over the table! What can I say? I was definitely pissed but it didn’t show on my face! I wonder how that waiter saw what was behind the mask!!
Moving on to the food, I just loved the biryani and the starter. Nice big strands of rice with quite a lot of meat in it. The big differentiating factor definitely from the biryani I had here and other places was the gripping aroma. It not only tasted good but it smelt good as well. The chicken was tender as well.
With the food, we ordered ice tea where there was no hint of tea!! just a lot of sugar in there!! so we mixed 1 part ice tea with 2 part water and drank our very own home-made glucose syrup!!
Overall, the food is excellent, the drinks ah! less said the better and the service, though its with a smile, it still does need some tweaking!
On the pricing front, I think its a tad too expensive; we spent more than Rs.150 each between the two of us. But overall I`d say I would love to go there again just for the Biryani!

Urban Tadka

Address: 8, Shiv Shopping Centre, Junction of Bon-Bon Lane & Juhu, JP Road, Versova Link Road, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai
Tel: 26328172, 26328173, 26319636, 66028944
Review:
Finally I end up at Urban Tadka and realize that I have been missing out on something for quite sometime now. Before we could get inside we waited for nearly 30 mins outside to finally get a seat on a busy weekend. After that was taken care of, there were virtually no complains.
Anyways, I was quite surprised that the place is so small for I always thought it would be a huge diner!!! I liked the ambiance though, very dhaba-ish! Really nice!
So after a bit of looking around and chit chatting we got down to ordering some drinks and starters. I found the menu to be priced on a bit higher side but its suffice to say that we did not mind at all!
Starters included Nimbu Chicken and Tand Mush Tey Babycorn. I don’t know how the veg tasted like, but the chicken was quite delicious!
Next up were some drinks including Beer, vodka, lassi and fruit juices!. The Lassi here is quite ok but not as great as many other places!
For the main course, we had an assortment including Paneer Butter Masala, Sarson ka Saag, Bhindi Masala, Dhuaandhar Murgh Tikka and lots and lots of rotis and naans.
The food was good quality and quantity wise. Offcourse a litter pricer too but that isn’t stopping patrons from thronging the place now is it?
overall I would like to give 4.5 stars but will settle for 4 stars only because there wasn’t any dish (Atleast none of which I tried were really standouts though they were all good nonetheless).